Why do the things we know are bad for us feel so much more rewarding than the things that are good for us?

Why is gaming more exciting than studying?
Why does ice cream feel more satisfying than a bowl of organic fruit?
Why is scrolling on social media easier than hitting the gym?

The answer is a simple effort-to-reward ratio.

Stay with me now🤝.

Despite what hardcore gamers say, spending 12+ hours at a screen is a low-effort task. Sure, grinding Destiny 2 dungeons, dealing with bad teammates in Marvel Rivals, or sweating it out in Fortnite can be frustrating — but let’s be real. None of that comes close to staring at a textbook with a bunch of information that you don’t care about a night before an exam.

The effort-to-reward ratio is completely different: gaming demands time and focus, but physically and mentally pushing your brain is on another level.

This concept goes beyond just video games and studying — it applies to anything we find enjoyable versus anything we find dull.

So, how do we make the boring tasks more engaging?

The key is finding the sweet spot in your work — the “Goldilocks zone” where the challenge is just right.

The Goldilocks Zone

This is the same concept as the old fairy tale we’re all told as kids.

Goldilocks eats the first bowl of porridge, and its too hot. She eats the second bowl of porridge, and its too cold. Then finally, she eats the third bowl of porridge and its neither too hot or too cold — it’s a perfect temperature and she ends up finishing it.

In the context of work and effort-based tasks, if what we’re doing is too challenging, we’re likely to get demotivated and frustrated. On the other hand, if it’s too easy, whatever we’re doing will feel repetitive and it’ll make us bored.

That is why you have to search for that Goldilocks Zone within your work where you’re engaged enough to enjoy it and challenged enough to focus.

Tapping Into Flow

Once you finally find that Goldilocks Zone, you will be able to tap into a flow state.

Flow state is a highly focused and immersive mental state. In this state, your skill level matches the challenge of the task; resulting in you being fully engaged in an activity, losing track of time, and experiencing a sense of effortless control.

Even if this is your first time hearing this concept of flow, you’ve 100% experienced it before (especially if you have played video games).

This is because tapping into flow during activities like video games, sports, or even doomscrolling TikTok and Instagram Reels is almost effortless due to the exact reasons we discussed earlier.

That’s why, to enter a flow state in less naturally stimulating activities — like studying, working, or paying attention in class — you need to find the sweet spot of challenge.

Take this blog post, for example. Writing it isn’t as daunting as a rigid MLA-format academic essay, but it also isn’t as effortless as texting a friend. It strikes the perfect balance — engaging enough to keep me focused, but not so difficult that it becomes demotivating.

Through trial and error of writing online for a little over a year now, I found a sweet spot in content creation that allows me to be immersed in my work.

And for you to do the same, all you have to do is look for that Goldilocks Zone in your professional work, creative arts, or even your training and dieting.

However, this isn’t something you will discover right away. It takes time, trial and error, and the right mindset.

But once you do find it, you’ll unlock a new portal in life that allows you to escape reality in virtually anything.